A New Dawn for Palestine

On September 22, 2025 France joined several Western countries to recognize Palestinian as a state, ahead of an UN summit annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York. "We have gathered here because time has come," President Emmanuel Macron said at a UN summit convened to revive the long-delayed two-state solution to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

"It falls on us, this responsibility, to do everything in our power to preserve the possibility of a two-state solution. "

"Today, I declare that France recognizes the state of Palestine," he said. Envoys from Israel and the United States were missing from the event.

The additional countries recognizing Palestine now join some 147 of the 193 UN member states that had already formally recognized Palestinian statehood as of April 2025. With more than 80 percent of the international community now recognizing the state of Palestine, diplomatic pressure has ramped up on Israel as it continues its genocidal war on Gaza, where more than 65,300 Palestinians have been killed and the has been enclave turned into rubble.

Spain, Norway and Ireland recognized Palestinian statehood last year, with Madrid also imposing sanctions on Israel for its war on Gaza.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told the summit on Monday that a two-state solution was not possible "when the population of one of those two states is the victim of genocide."

"The Palestinian people are being annihilated, [so] in the name of reason, in the name of international law and in the name of human dignity, we have to stop this slaughter," Sanchez said.

Macron, in his speech to the summit, also outlined a framework for the creation of a "renewed Palestinian Authority". The post-war framework envisages an International Stabilization Force (ISF) that would assist in preparing the Palestinian Authority (PA) to take over governance in Gaza. Israel and the US, which are becoming increasingly isolated internationally on the issue, boycotted the summit, with Israel's UN ambassador, Danny Danon, describing the event as a "circus".

Although the vast majority of UN member states now recognize Palestinian statehood, new UN member states must have the support of the UN Security Council, where the US has used its veto to block Palestine from becoming a full UN member state.

The United States has given Israel a record $17.9 billion in military aid since October 7, 2025.

Palestinian Statehood is a Right not Reward. Speaking at the summit, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reiterated his support for the two-state solution, framing it as the only viable path towards peace after years of failed negotiations and ongoing violence. Guterres said that statehood for Palestinians "is a right, not a reward", rejecting US and Israeli claims that it was a reward for Hamas.

Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra reporting from New York said that there is a momentum building for UN leaders to discuss a two-state solution, which envisions a sovereign Palestinian state living side by side with Israel.

"The only problem they face is that establishing a viable Palestinian state is something that requires a nod from the US administration, which does not seem to be willing to go down that path," he said.

"For many European leaders, this is not a symbolic gesture, but an attempt to try and push for a new political order to prevail in the near future. They say they have leverage that they are ultimately going to use to put an end to the war in Gaza," he added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly said that he would not allow the establishment of a Palestinian state. Last September, the UNGA passed a resolution calling on Israel to end its occupation of the Palestinian territory within a year.

Palestinian Nakba - Displacement and Dispossession. The Nakba, which is an Arabic word for "catastrophe" refers to mass displacement and dispossession of Palestinians which took place during the 1948 Arab-Israeli war. Before the Nakba, Palestine was a multi-ethnic and multi-cultural society. However, the conflict between Arabs and Jews intensified in the 1930s with the increase of Jewish immigration, driven by persecution in Europe, and with the Zionist movement that aimed to establish a Jewish state in Palestine.

The UN General Assembly passed a resolution in November 1947 which partitioned Palestine into two states, one Jewish and one Arab with Jerusalem under a UN administration. The Arab world rejected the plan, arguing it was unfair and violated the UN Charter. Jewish militias launched attacks against Palestinian villages, forcing thousands to flee. The situation escalated into a full-blown war in 1948 with the end of British Mandate and the departure of British forces, the declaration of independence of the State of Israel and the entry of neighboring Arab armies. The newly established Israeli forces launched a major offensive. The result of the war was displacement of more than a half of the Palestinian population.

As early as December 1948, the UN General Assembly called for return of refugees, property restitution and compensation. However, despite countless UN resolutions, the right of Palestinians continues to be denied. According to the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) more than 5 million Palestine refugees are scattered throughout the Middle East. And Palestinians continue to be dispossessed and displaced by Israeli settlements, evictions, land confiscations , home demolitions.

The Nakba anniversary is a reminder of of tragic event of 1948, and the ongoing injustices suffered by the Palestinians. It remains a deeply traumatic event in their collective memory and continues to shape their struggle for justice and for their right to return to their homes.

On November 30, 2023 the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution requesting the Division for Palestinian Rights of the Secretariat for the first time in the history of the UN to dedicate its activities to the commemoration of the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Nakba. On May 17, 2024, the Committee held a commemorative Panel Discussion at the UN headquarters. The event examined the historical context of the 1948 events and the ongoing process of Nakba over the years culminating in the current war on Gaza.

UN General Assembly passed the two-state solution by an overwhelming majority. On September12, 2025 the UN General Assembly passed by a vote of 142 votes in favor, 10 against (including Israel and its key ally the United States) and 12 abstentions passed a resolution for a two-state solution presented by France and Saudi Arabia. It called for collective action to end the war in Gaza, and achieve a just, peaceful and lasting settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on the effective implementation of the Two- State solution. It also ordered Hamas, which runs the government in Gaza, to "free all hostages" and "hand over its weapons to the Palestinian Authority... in line with the objective of a sovereign and independent Palestinian State.

Palestine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs welcomed Saudi-French efforts to create an "actionable plan" towards a two-state solution. The ministry also called for "activating all mechanisms to end the Israeli colonial occupation" and "achieve the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people."

Brazil Joins South Africa's 'genocide' case against Israel at ICJ. On September 20 2025, Brazil formally joined the case launched by South Africa at the International Court of Justice that alleged Israel is committing "Genocide" in the Gaza Strip. Brazil joined Spain, Ireland, Mexico, Turkey and others who have intervened in favor of South Africa to join the case against Israel over the genocidal war, which killed more than 65,000 Palestinians in Gaza since October 2023.

The final verdict could take several years for the verdict to come, but the Court issued an interim order in January 2024 that obliged Israel to take action to prevent acts of genocide in Gaza and allow unimpeded access to humanitarian aid. The court also ruled that Israel's presence in the occupied Palestinian territory is unlawful, and its policies are consistent with annexation.

Israel has Ignored those rulings, as well as mounting international condemnation of its conduct, and has destroyed far more of Gaza.

Flotilla of boats seek Israel's blockade. Organizers say the flotilla includes 52 mostly small vessels carrying activists from dozens of countries. They are carrying a symbolic amount of humanitarian aid, mainly food and medicine, for Palestinians in the besieged Gaza enclave. The 23-month war has cause humanitarian catastrophe in the territory much of which is reduced to rubble.

The core vessels set sail from Spain on September 1, heading east across the Mediterranean, and have joined boats from other countries. The flotilla includes larger vessels that provide support and provisions for the smaller boats.

Participants include high-profile activists such as Swedish climate activists Greta Thunberg and former Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau, as well as members of Italy's parliament and the European Parliament. Organizers say that delegates from 46 countries had committed to participate, with activists including military, veterans, doctors, clergy and lawyers. They were expecting to reach Gaza within a week.

The flotilla received additional protection by Spain and Italian navy to guarantee freedom of navigation operating within legal limits without encroaching upon Israeli territory.

However on October 2, 2025 Israel intercepted the flotilla in international waters on route to Gaza leading to swift criticism from global leaders as protesters gathered around the world. The Israeli soldiers imprisoned and mistreated the activists including Ms. Thunberg and then deported them. There were reports of large crowds greeting them at Athens, Greece.

There are reports of a second flotilla leaving for Gaza to break the Israeli siege.

Protests and calls for sanctions Greet Netanyahu at the UN. On September 26, 2025 at the time when Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was addressing the UN General Assembly, most UN members walked out of the world organization in protest. Thousands of New Yorkers joined world diplomats and protested against Netanyahu and called for imposing sanctions on Israel. Israeli military took control of the telephones of Gaza residents and Hamas members and broadcast his speech to the starving and beleaguered population of the territory.

Meeting of diplomats of the Hague Group. The Hague Group - diplomats from 34 countries, met the day after and called for action to stop atrocities beyond statements and symbolism. Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian ambassador to the UN, urged tangible moves against Israel, including sanctions. "We are out of time because if we fail to act, children are killed," Mansour told Hague Group meeting. "Palestinian children are killed, starved, orphaned, burned and traumatized, families are shattered, life is destroyed, lands are stolen and territories are annexed."

Mansour also called for international support for South Africa's genocide case against Israel at the International Court of Justice. The meeting included representative from Colombia, South Africa, Qatar, Turkey, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Brazil, Ireland, Spain, and Uruguay.

Trump's Ceasefire plan to end Israel's war in Gaza. On September 29, 2025 the White House unveiled a 20-point proposal that could bring an immediate halt to Israel's war on Gaza, which has killed more than 66,0000 Palestinians and left the Palestinian enclave in ruins. If the plan is accepted by both sides, the war will end immediately, with all captives held in Gaza alive and dead returned within 72 hours and Palestinian prisoners released. The Gaza Strip is to be temporarily governed by a Palestinian technocratic government with no role for Hamas, and Israel not to annex Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister who was present at the time U.S. President Donald Trump made the announcement said he accepted Trump's plans, but Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi told Al Jazeera that the group had not received Trump's written Gaza peace plan. Analysts say Trump's Gaza peace plan lacks protections for the Palestinians.

In outlining the proposal, Trump said the plan was intended to provide Palestinians with an opportunity to take responsibility for their future. "So there are many Palestinians who wish to live in peace. I have so many of them, and they have support," he said.

"I challenge the Palestinians to take responsibility for their destiny, because that's what we are giving them. We are giving them responsibility for their destiny, [to] fully condemn and prohibit terrorism and earn their way to a brighter future. They don't want the life they've had. They've had a rough time with Hamas," he added. "If the Palestinian Authority does not complete the reforms that I laid out in my vision for peace in 2020, they'll have only themselves to blame."

Trump will not allow Israel to annex West Bank. BBC and Aljazeea reported that Trump told White House reporters ahead of Netanyahu's address to the UN General Assembly meeting, "I will not allow Israeli to annex the West Bank... It is not going to happen." Politico reported that Trump promised Arab and Muslim leaders that he won't let Israel annex the West Bank.

Trump met Netanyahu the day after announcement of the plan said a ceasefire deal was getting "pretty close."

While people on the ground would be infinitely relieved of a halt in Israel's vicious bombardment that had killed at least 66,055 people and wounded 168,346 since October 2023, the 20-point Trump plan contained almost nothing else positive for the people of Palestine, analysts say. Ending the genocide is tied this very colonial approach in which Israel, the party which has carried out the genocide, and the US who funded it, are the ones who get to decide the future of the people against whom they are committing genocide.

Hamas response to Trump's Plan. Hamas responded on October 3, 2025 and said it accepts parts of US President Donald Trump's plan for a ceasefire in Israel's nearly two-year war on Gaza, but that some elements require further negotiations. The Palestinian group announced that it has agreed "to release all occupation captives - both living and the remains - according to the exchange formula outlined in President Trump's proposal "and it was ready to "immediately enter negotiations through mediators to discuss details of the exchange. The group also said it was ready to "hand over the administration of the Gaza Strip to a Palestinian body of independents (technocrats) based on Palestinian national consensus and with Arab and Islamic support."

But it said aspects of the proposal touching on "the future of the Gaza strip and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people" should be decided on the basis of a unanimous national position and relevant international laws and resolutions."

The statement came after Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform that if an agreement was not reached by Sunday, then "all HELL, like no one has ever seen before, will break out against Hamas."

Mass protests from Amsterdam to Istanbul to denounce Israel's Gaza genocide. On October 5, 2025 hundreds of thousands of people poured onto the streets across Europe, demanding an end to to Israel's two-year war on Gaza that has killed more than 67,000 Palestinians and left the enclave on the brink of famine. The largest protest took place in the Netherland, where around 250,000 people filled Amsterdam's Museum Square before marching through the city center. Draped in Palestinian flags and dressed in red, they demanded from their government take a harder stance against Israel and stop arms exports to the occupying power. Amnesty International, one of the organizers, urged European governments to act decisively and use "all economic and diplomatic means increase pressure on Israel."

Trump announced that Israel and Hamas agreed on the first phase of Gaza ceasefire. On October 9, 2025 Trump announced that Israel and Hamas have agreed to the first phase of Gaza ceasefire, and release of Israeli captives and Palestinian prisoners.

Experts warn that next part of the deal will be more difficult Israel has deliberately openly and brazenly broken every ceasefire deal that was achieved until this point. Ensuring that they comply by the terms and they don't go back to fighting and re-impose the siege... they actually allow not only aid but commercial goods and people to flow across the border. It is going to be something that I think we are not quite there yet," they said.

World leaders gather in Egypt for signing Gaza ceasefire deal. On October 13, 2025 Political leaders from around the world convened in Egypt to sign Gaza ceasefire led by the US president Donald Trump. Trump envisioned a glimmering future for Gaza as a hub of development and investment, even as the Gaza strip lies in ruins following Israel's two year devastating assault. "A new and beautiful day is rising and now the rebuilding begins" , said Trump as he praised regional leaders who helped broker a deal between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas.

Despite the toll of what Israel's military left Trump was concerned around Israel security demands and said, "Gaza's reconstruction also requires that it be demilitarized." But later he joined with leaders of Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey and released a statement emphasizing equality between Israelis and Palestinians. "We seek tolerance, dignity, and equal opportunity for every person, ensuring this region is a place where all can pursue their aspirations in peace, security, and economic prosperity, regardless of race, faith or ethnicity, "statement said.

Separately, leaders from the region praised Trump at the summit but warned that only the creation of a Palestinian state could offer a durable end to the conflict.

All other indications also point to the creation of a Palestinian state, from the birth of Israel-established on the land of Palestine-to the Palestinian Nakba and the continuing cruelty Palestinians have been subjected to, being treated as colonized subjects by the dominant Israelis with the support of the superpower, America, which backs Israel as its listening post in the region. It is time that Palestinians realize a state of their own, living side by side and in equal dignity with Israel.